


where the lovelight gleams

by fictionalinfinity



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Gift Exchange, Hot Chocolate, Identity Reveal, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:27:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28033143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalinfinity/pseuds/fictionalinfinity
Summary: When Ladybug discovers Chat doesn't have any plans for Christmas, she invites him to spend a festive evening with her. However, their efforts to stay warm go a little awry when Chat recognizes Ladybug's scarf.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 39
Kudos: 302
Collections: December 2020 - Advent Calendar





	where the lovelight gleams

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! This was written for the Miraculous Fanworks Server Advent Calendar. I had Day 12: Scarf.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Special thank you to my lovely beta [silv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky) <3

“So,” Ladybug broke the silence, her feet swinging back and forth from the ledge she and Chat Noir were perched on. “Do you have anything exciting planned for Christmas? Providing an akuma doesn’t attack, of course.”

Chat snorted. “Don’t jinx it.”

The humor in his eyes died just a bit, however. He looked down at his wringing hands and quietly sighed.

“I don’t have anything planned,” Chat finally answered, smiling tightly. 

“Really? Well, spontaneity is fun too. Are you doing a gift exchange, at least?”

“Probably not… but enough about me. What about you?” Chat asked, pulling a familiar move. Ladybug had noticed that whenever she mentioned families outside of superheroing, Chat tensed up and liked to turn it back on her.

Ladybug had to admit she was a bit worried. 

“My parents and I are going to play some video games and have a quiet night in, most likely. But I’d love to meet up with you a few days before to celebrate!” Ladybug offered. “I want to give you a gift, too.”   
  
“You- you’d want to?” Chat gasped, turning his wide kitten eyes on her. His mouth was set in an adorable little ‘o’ as he stared at her in awe. “Bugaboo… I’d love that! Let’s do it! When?! Oh! I have so many ideas- wait, how many gifts are acceptable? ...two? ... five? ...ten? I-”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Ladybug laughed, holding out a hand to stop him.  _ “One _ gift is okay. Honestly, I don’t need anything but your company. It isn’t often we get to hang out as friends rather than superheroes.”

Chat smiled bashfully, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck.

“Sorry, I… it isn’t often I get to spoil people, especially you. I like to do it when I can,” he ducked his head.

“That’s so sweet of you,” Ladybug smiled softly. She looked upon her partner with tender eyes. The news always assumed he was some suave, snarky hero when in actuality, he was one of the kindest, most caring people she knew. 

Without thinking, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. His already-rosy face from the chill burned an even fiercer red. 

“So, same time next Saturday?” Ladybug cleared her throat, hurriedly backing away and fiddling with her hands. 

“Th-that works,” Chat stared ahead numbly.

“Good! Good, that’s… good. Alright, you bring yourself and I’ll handle the rest, okay?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Okaycoolbye,” Ladybug forced out in a hurry, before grabbing her yo-yo and swinging away from the decidedly awkward situation.

Rosy heat still lingered on her cheeks. 

-

The next Saturday came awfully fast, just as things often did around the holiday season. Finding the perfect gift for her partner did not go quite as smoothly. 

Marinette didn’t want to make the wrong decision. Chat was important to her, and he deserved something that meant something to both of them. She couldn’t make any clothing for him like she did for her other friends. No, that was too… identifiable. 

She contemplated roses, but those were impermanent and held romantic implications she wasn’t quite ready to acknowledge. She considered making him a lucky charm bracelet of his own, but that was identity revealing too. 

Deciding on gifts was  _ hard. _

It was only when Marinette stumbled across the little kitten toy from her trip to New York that she knew what to do. 

-

Ladybug arrived on their usual rooftop with a nondescript backpack settled comfortably on her shoulders. Chat Noir was already there, pacing back and forth with a small box in one hand. The sound of her soft foot falls alerted him to her arrival, and she watched in fascination as his cat ears perked up.

“Merry Christmas, Bugaboo!” Chat greeted, spinning around with a wide smile. He set the item in his hands down on the roof carefully before rushing over to pull her into a tight hug. 

“Merry Christmas, Chaton,” Ladybug echoed, wrapping her arms around him in return. Despite the chill of the night air, she felt warm in his arms. She felt safe.

When they finally pulled apart, Ladybug swung the backpack off of her shoulders and plopped it on the ground. 

“So, gifts or snacks first?” She asked. Chat contemplated for a moment, tapping his chin rather obnoxiously and earning a laugh out of her. 

“Snacks! I’m hungry,” he decided. Ladybug nodded, unzipping her bag and pulling out the thermos of hot cocoa and a set of mugs. 

Chat watched with anticipation as she poured the steaming drink into the mugs. Once both were full, she unwrapped two candy canes, placing one in each drink. Immediately, red and white streaks began to melt and dissipate throughout the drink. 

“You… put them in the cocoa?” Chat frowned.    
  


Ladybug nodded. “Gives the cocoa a peppermint flavor. Trust me, it’s good!”

Chat grinned, his sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Without hesitation, Chat grabbed a mug and took a sip before Ladybug could warn him. Her faint cry was drowned out by the sound of Chat coughing, splattering the sip of cocoa all over himself. 

_ “Hot,” _ he croaked pitifully as he looked at her with watering eyes. 

Ladybug couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of her. “Of course it is, you dork. It’s  _ hot _ cocoa. Here, a cookie will help,” she said, pulling a perfectly frosted cookie out of the container and handing it to him. 

“Mmmm,” Chat hummed after a crumbly bite. “These are good!”

Ladybug smiled. “I’m glad you think so. They’re my recipe!”

“You made these?” He gasped, the words muffled by food. Ladybug nodded. “Aww, I didn’t know you baked! That’s amazing.”

“Yes. I’ve been baking for a long time. I’ll have to let you try out some of my new recipes from now on.”

“That sounds awesome,” Chat practically cooed. “I don’t get a lot of sweets at home.”

“Then I’ll definitely be bringing you some more.”

Chat didn’t respond, simply smiling at her. His glistening eyes conveyed his gratitude. If sharing her baking with him made him look at her like that, Ladybug would be happy to share with him forever.

They sat in comfortable silence afterwards, Chat’s arm around her shoulder as he pulled her close. Ladybug sipped on her peppermint cocoa, resting her head against his chest. A few minutes after they finished their warm drinks, however, she felt him begin to shiver.

“S-sorry,” Chat said as he noticed her looking at him. “I d-don’t do well in the c-cold.”

“Aww, chaton,” Ladybug frowned. “I wish you’d said something. Here, my house isn’t too far. I’ll go get us something to keep warm.”

Chat looked like he was about to object, but his clattering teeth prevented him from doing so. He acquiesced with a simple nod. Ladybug set off.

She returned a few minutes later, scarves, hats, and blankets in hand. She wrapped a pink scarf around her own neck and settled one of the hats firmly on top of her head. Then, she carefully wrapped a green scarf around Chat and threw blankets over the both of them. He sighed into the warmth. 

“This is a nice scarf,” Chat finally spoke, fingering the fabric. “Not too heavy, but it keeps me warm. I like it.”

“I made it for a friend,” Ladybug answered. “Green to ah… match his eyes.”

It was true. Her mind flashed back to making the gift for Adrien. A companion to the blue summer scarf she’d made years ago, only this time, it would be from her. She was going to give it to him at school next week. 

“Wow,” Chat whistled. “I’m sure he’ll love it! You’re so talented.”

“Thank you,” Ladybug blushed at the praise. Chat continued to fondle the fabric, his fingers running up and down the length of it. Then, he stopped to backtrack. He ran over one spot back and forth with a frown.

“Oh, that’s my signature. It’s just a bunch of squiggles, don’t worry about it.”

She was once again grateful for her concealing signature. Unless Chat knew what he was doing, he wouldn’t be able to make sense of it.

Chat was stiff beside her, staring down at the mess of her signature with wide eyes. It must have been strange for him, she reasoned, to be so close and yet so far from her identity. 

“Th-that’s cool,” he choked out. Ladybug nodded.

“So! Gifts?” She suggested.

“R-right! Gifts! Yes! Let’s!”

Ladybug laughed at his supposed eagerness, pulling the backpack into her lap. “Okay, me first.”

She handed the bag to him and watched as he pulled pieces of parchment from it, revealing the gift at the bottom.

A little toy ladybug, and a remote.

He gently lifted them from the bag, cradling them with awe. She watched eagerly as he pressed the remote, and the ladybug in his hand buzzed.

“It’s like the little kitten I gave you when I went to New York,” Ladybug explained. “Only this time, I keep the remote. And you still have the remote to the kitten. I figured… we could buzz each other, to let the other know we’re thinking of them. It’s not like we can text either, so uh… I thought this was a good alternative.”

“Ladybug,” he whispered. “I… I love it. I love it,  _ so _ much. Thank you.”

“Of course, Chaton,” she smiled.

“Okay! My turn!” Chat exclaimed excitedly, pulling out the little wrapped box she’d seen earlier. Ladybug carefully unwrapped it, not eager to destroy the nice paper, and opened the box.

Inside was a necklace, with a glass rose pendant. The leaves were rimmed in gold.

“It’s beautiful,” she gasped. “Oh, thank you, Chat! I’ll wear it every day, tucked under my collar.”

“I’m glad,” he answered. “Here, let me help you put it on.”

Ladybug acquiesced, pulling her hair out of the way so he could secure the clap. She smiled as she watched it settle right above her heart. 

“It looks amazing on you,” Chat breathed.

“Thank you,” Ladybug blushed. She glanced down at the little rose once more, feeling her heart skip a beat at the sight of it. 

“No, thank you. This was the best Christmas ever. And… it means the world to see you in the necklace.”

Not long after they exchanged gifts, it was time to separate. Ladybug made sure to take the remote to the toy as she packed up her bag, and with one final hug and wish of Merry Christmas, he was gone.

-

The rest of the weekend left Marinette buzzing. Every time the little kitten toy meowed, it sent a shock of excitement through her. It meant Chat was thinking of her. She could never tire of that feeling. Whenever she wasn’t eagerly watching the toy kitten for more signs of movement, she fawned over preparing gifts for her other friends.

On Monday, it was time for Marinette and her friends to do their annual gift exchange. When it came time to give Adrien the scarf, she couldn’t help but remember the way it had looked on her partner, and the way it highlighted his green eyes. She imagined it would look just as good on Adrien as it had on Chat.

When Adrien opened the scarf, he froze.

“You mean… this was for me? This whole time?” He asked, flabbergasted. Marinette nodded.

“Of course! I made it for you. I hope you like it.”

“Marinette… I love it,” Adrien gasped out, near tears, as he dove forward and pulled her into a hug. Marinette, a little surprised, returned it nevertheless. 

Her heart fluttered a bit at his excitement. She was overjoyed to hear he liked it, especially after the mess of the first time she’d tried to give him a scarf. Still, his reaction was startling. Scarfs didn’t bring people to tears, according to her experience.

Well, as long as he was happy, Marinette was too. 

-

A few nights later, there was a tapping sound on her skylight. Marinette looked up to find glowing green eyes peering down at her. She hurried to let her partner in.

“Evening, Chat! What can I do for you?” Marinette greeted.

“Hello, Marinette,” Chat smiled. “I’m just here to drop something off. Sorry it’s a bit sloppy. I had to ask my father to teach me to knit, which took a bit of convincing, so I didn’t have much time to get it right. But, I hope you’ll like it anyway.”

He handed her a wrapped box, and Marinette stared down at it, confused. “Thank you, Chat, but you didn’t have to get me anything for Christmas, really! I-”

“Marinette,” Chat interrupted it, smiling fondly. “Just open it.”

“...Fine,” Marinette laughed, carefully pulling back the wrapping. Then, she lifted the lid of the box.

Sitting inside was a scarf. A rather sloppily knitted scarf, but a scarf nonetheless. It had clearly been knit with love.

And there at the end of the scarf was a signature.

_ Adrien Agreste. _

Marinette frowned in confusion. Why would he sign it in Adrien’s name? He wouldn’t, unless…

Oh.

_ Oh. _

Above her, all Chat did was grin. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the [Miraculous Fanworks Server](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) for their endless encouragement and love of Miraculous. 
> 
> Kudos and comments appreciated.


End file.
